Southwest Michigan Council
2010 National Scout Jamboree
Troop 1223
Serving Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, and most of SW Michigan

   What's a Jamboree???

Sir Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Scouting movement, created the idea of holding a large encampment of Scouts and leaders to celebrate Scouting in England.  He called it a "Jamboree".

Since 1937, the Boy Scouts of America has held a National Scout Jamboree for Scouts and leaders of Boy Scout councils throughout the United States.  Nearly 600,000 Scouts and leaders have hiked the trails, paths, and roadways since the first jamboree was held at the base of the Washington Monument on the Mall in our nation's capital.

Since that time, 15 National Scout Jamborees have been held, three in the western United States at Irvine Ranch, California; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Farragut State Park in Idaho.  Five have been held in Pennsylvania at Valley Forge and Moraine State Park.  Beginning in 1981, Virginia and Fort A. P. Hill have been the permanent site.

Come and join in the fun at the first jamboree to be held in the 21st century.  It will truly be a Scout's odyssey because the adventure, excitement of meeting new friends, and just plain fun are waiting for you!

2001 FLASHBACKS:

IF YOU BUILD IT...THEY WILL COME

Literally, in the space of a few days, the 76,000 acres of Fort A. P. Hill in Virginia evolved from a placid wilderness to a bustling city of 35,000 when the 2001 National Scout Jamboree contingent arrived. Counting the total visitor population, the site became Virginia's sixth largest city with its own zip code.

The Jamboree was no small undertaking. A bus system, telephone/communication system, hospital facilities, first aid stations, trading posts, postal services, food warehouses, and daily newspaper office all had to be ready when the Scouts and their leaders arrived on Monday, July 28.

Participants bunked in one of the 16,000 tents, which made a colorful sea of cloth in the Virginia wilderness. Scouts also used the following:

WE'RE STARVING!

Scouts are renowned for their appetites and their ability to eat, eat, and eat some more! A typical menu for a Scout attending the Jamboree was:

Breakfast

Juice, Cold cereal, Fruit, Hot cereal, Bread/English, Muffin, and Cocoa

Supper

Beef stew, Salad and dressing, Potatoes, Apple pie à la mode, amd Milk/sports drink/soft drink

Scouts go for the grub

Scouts will scarf down vast amounts of the following foods:

Plus there were tons and tons of fresh fruit and vegetables like apples, bananas, cantaloupes, carrots, celery, lettuce, peaches, and tomatoes, just to mention a few.

(Scource: BSA)